Increases in the processing, memory, and connectivity capabilities of computing devices have fueled an explosion in digital content sharing. Such digital content includes pictures, movies, audio, textual, and virtually any other type of representation that can be rendered in or converted to a digital form. Many different content sharing systems are in use and have been proposed for sharing digital content. For example, some systems use peer-to-peer networking (P2P) for content sharing, while other systems use one or more centralized servers that coordinate sharing among a plurality of client devices. Still further systems use combinations of the client-server model and P2P model.
Various systems, P2P and otherwise, have been proposed for the “viral” distribution of content. Generally speaking, “viral” content distribution refers to indirect spreading of content. For instance, a person may create a home video for fun and share it with some immediate friends. Those friends may share the video with other friends, who then spread the video still further.
Some systems provide for limited viral distribution whereby the content originator retains some control over the content distribution. For instance, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/516,294, filed Sep. 6, 2006 and assigned to Qurio Holdings, Inc., includes discussion of systems whereby an originator of content may specify rules and limits regarding the ultimate distribution of content. The rules, distribution limits, and other parameters may be included as content metadata associated with the virally-spread content.
Many variants of P2P systems exist. Some P2P systems may utilize a distribution protocol such as BitTorrent, which allows multiple clients to share multiple components of a digital file. A “torrent” file includes metadata describing file(s) to be shared and a computer coordinating the sharing. Other computers download the shared file(s) in pieces. Since the shared file(s) may be broken down into pieces, clients may share and trade pieces rather than download the complete file from a single source.
Some content distribution systems allow for tracking of past distributions. For example, systems have been proposed whereby downstream recipients of content report back to the originator and/or sender of content. The reported-back information can be used to trace the path(s) of prior distributions.
However, in many currently-existing systems that provide for virally-spread content, each distribution is manual, and may not take full advantage of data about other distributions. Therefore, an improved content distribution system remains desirable.